Featured Collection

Merci Boxcars

France says "Thank You" to Americans

In February of 1949, a train of 49 French boxcars arrived by ship in New York harbor. Each wooden boxcar contained hundreds of gifts from French citizens, symbols of gratitude for the United States military and humanitarian efforts during and after World War II. One car was delivered to each American state, and many still exist in state capitals and museums.

Maryland North Carolina Georgia Snapshots Sources

merci_inset1 typewriter n early 1949 there were thousands of World War 1 veterans and millions of WW2 veterans still living who had memories of spending as much as a week being transported to, or from, the battlefronts of the wars in that exact same type of boxcar. There were no seats, no windows, no toilets, and no sleeping or dining accommodations. Each man and his 39 traveling companions had barely enough space to sit down and they had to fit their bodies in rows to have enough room to lie down for sleep. Most of the veterans that survived the war had memories of those final rides and conversations with buddies, including some who were killed and never made it back to the U.S.A. Those surviving veterans decided to make the little gift boxcars memorials to the those lost buddies and the sacrifices that they made to save the world from the tyranny of Nazism. Thus it is that, for almost 75 years, they have volunteered to keep the little antique boxcars repaired and honorably displayed in an effort to memorialize all those who had given their all for the freedom of people everywhere in the world. We think that all of those heroes should continue to be honored by the continued preservation of these humble symbols of their sacrifices.

Earl Bennett Sr. / MerciTrain.org / image RWH

Spencer, NC / Apr 2025 / RWH

Spencer, NC / Apr 2025 / RWH

Apr 2025 / RWH

flag_fra egyptian he French “Merci Train,” also known as the “Gratitude Train,” was a heartfelt gesture of thanks from the people of France to the United States in 1949. Following World War II, in response to the American-led 1947 “Friendship Train” that had sent food and supplies to a devastated Europe, the French organized a reciprocal effort. Citizens across France contributed gifts — ranging from artwork and handmade items to personal mementos — to fill 49 boxcars, one for each U.S. state at the time (plus one shared by Washington, DC, and the then-territory of Hawaii). These wooden boxcars, known as “40 and 8s” for their World War I-era military designation of carrying 40 men or 8 horses, were shipped aboard the freighter Magellan and arrived in New York Harbor in February 1949. The Merci Train symbolized Franco-American friendship and postwar solidarity, and most of the boxcars and their contents are still preserved in museums and memorials across the United States today.

All time Merci Boxcar location roster

State	City	Location	Status
Alabama	Huntsville	Veterans Memorial Museum	museum
Arizona	Scottsdale	McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park	display
Arkansas	Helena	American Legion Post 41	display
California	Fresno	American Legion Post 509	display
Colorado	___	___	unknown
Connecticut	___	___	destroyed
Delaware	Seaford	American Legion Post 6	display
Florida	Holly Hill	Holly Hill Municipal Building	display
Georgia	Kennesaw	Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History	museum
Hawaii	Ewa Beach	Hawaiian Railway Society	display
Idaho	Boise	Old Idaho State Penitentiary museum	museum
Illinois	___	___	unknown
Indiana	Fort Wayne	Veterans National Memorial Shrine and Museum	display
Iowa	Cedar Falls	Antique Acres farm park	display
Kansas	Hays	Veterans Memorial Park	display
Kentucky	New Haven	Kentucky Railway Museum	museum
Louisiana	Baton Rouge	Old State Capital	display
Maine	Boothbay	Boothbay Railway Village Museum	museum
Maryland	Baltimore	Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum	museum
Massachusetts	___	___	destroyed
Michigan	Lansing	American Legion Post 183	display
Minnesota	Little Falls	Minnesota Military Museum	museum
Mississippi	Jackson	Old Gulf Mobile & Ohio Depot	display
Missouri	Sedalia	Missouri State Fairgrounds	display
Montana	Fort Harrison	Montana Military Museum	display
Nebraska	___	___	destroyed
Nevada	Boulder City	Nevada State Railroad Museum	display
New Hampshire	Manchester	126 Reed Street	display
New Jersey	Kansas City, MO		stored
New Mexico	Albuquerque	Expo New Mexico	display
New York	Whitesboro	Forty and Eight Voiture 92	display
North Carolina	Spencer	North Carolina Transportation Museum	museum
North Dakota	Bismark	North Dakota Heritage Center	display
Ohio	Port Clinton	Camp Perry	display
Oklahoma	Norman	J. D. McCarty Center	display
Oregon	North Bend	Simpson Park	display
Pennsylvania	Jonestown	Fort Indiantown Gap	display
Rhode Island	Woonsocket	Museum of Work and Culture	museum
South Carolina	Bishopville	Downtown Memorial Park	display
South Dakota	Huron	Dakotaland Museum	display
Tennessee	Bristol	American Legion Post 145	display
Texas	Camp Mabry	Texas Military Forces Museum	display
Utah	Ogden	Utah State Railroad Museum	display
Vermont	Colchester	Vermont National Guard Museum	museum
Virginia	Newport News	Virginia War Museum	museum
Washington	Yakima	Sarg Hubbard Riverside Park	display
West Virginia	Welch	Veterans' Park	display
Wisconsin	Ashwaubenon	National Railroad Museum	display
Wyoming	Cheyenne	American Legion Post 6	display

states listed in orange above are featured in our scrapbook below.

merci_inset2 egyptian fter the war, efforts were made by the American people to assist areas of Europe that had been reduced to ruins. A Washington Post newspaper columnist, Drew Pearson, began a grassroots effort to gather supplies for the war-ravaged areas in 1947. Americans responded with fervor and the aptly named "American Friendship Train" with $40 million dollars in supplies filling 700 cars was sent to Europe. A French rail worker and World War II veteran, Andre Picard was so touched by this gesture the he suggested France reciprocate. A French veteran's organization quickly embraced his idea and developed a committee to collect the gifts. A search was conducted to commandeer boxcars from rail yards and depots throughout France to restore them in preparation for their journey. Over 52,000 gifts totaling 250 tons were collected to fill 49 boxcars bound for all the states in 2 the U.S. including one car to be shared by the District of Columbia and the territory of Hawaii. Items aboard these cars included everything from a jeweled Legion d'Pionneer medal presented to Napolen, a Louis XV carriage and one of the first motorcycles ever built. One of the more touching gifts was as an eleven year olds stuffed toy dog named LouLou on which she attached a note,

It seems that I was one year old when Meme offered it to me for my father who was a prisoner in Germany. I love Loulou very much, but I offer it to you in gratitude for all that the Americans have done for my country ... I thought I would keep it all my life, so it is with sorrow that I embrace Loulou for the last time.

The boxcars arrived in New York harbor on February 3, 1949 aboard the freighter Magellan bearing an enormous banner reading “MERCI AMERICA.” The cars were split into three groups and loaded aboard flatcars destined for each state in the union. Upon arrival, it was the job of each state government to display its car and distribute its gifts. Today the remaining forty-six Merci cars are scattered throughout the nation, in parks, museums, American Legion posts, and fairgrounds.

Ava Wilkey / The Forty and Eight Merci Boxcar: A Gift to our Greatest Generation

Georgia

Merci Boxcar #K138008

Kennesaw, Ga / Jun 2019 / RWH

tag_pin Georgia's Merci Boxcar is displayed indoors at the Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History in Kennesaw. Gifts sent from France in the car are held at the Georgia State Archives.

Jun 2019 / RWH

In gratitude, the people of France presented this Merci Boxcar loaded with gifts to the State of Georgia, February 11, 1949. This boxcar and others were used to transport soldiers and horses to and from the fighting fronts during WWI and soldiers during WWII.

Merci Boxcar plaque

Kennesaw, Ga / Jun 2019 / RWH

Kennesaw, Ga / Jun 2019 / RWH

See also our complete Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History scrapbook in Preservation

Maryland

Merci Boxcar #J57121

Baltimore, Md / collection

tag_pin Maryland's Merci Boxcar is displayed indoors at the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum in Baltimore. Gifts sent from France in the car are held by the Montgomery County Historical Society.

Baltimore, Md / Dec 2024 / RWH

Dec 2024 / RWH

Baltimore, Md / Dec 2024 / RWH

Baltimore, Md / Dec 2024 / RWH

See also our complete Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum featured scrapbook in Preservation

North Carolina

Merci Boxcar #J54906

Spencer, NC / Apr 2025 / RWH

tag_pin North Carolina's Merci Boxcar is displayed indoors at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer. Gifts sent from France in the car are held at the North Carolina History Museum.